A mother-of-one drank herself to death with Pepsi Max while on anti-depressants, an inquest heard.

Victoria Lane, from Clayton, Stoke-on-Trent, died from ‘excessive’ levels of caffeine and fluoxetine after downing up to eight litres of the fizzy drink on a daily basis because she enjoyed the taste of it.

The 38-year-old was found dead at her home by her 19-year-old son, Reese, earlier this year. He called 999 and paramedics rushed to the scene, but they were unable to revive his mother.

A post-mortem examination later found the combination of Pepsi Max and prescription drugs had led to ‘excessive consumption’ of both caffeine and fluoxetine, resulting in Miss Lane’s death.

The inquest heard how Miss Lane had struggled with depression, anxiety and paranoia for years.

She had been prescribed drugs, including fluoxetine, to help, but had also started to drink heavily.

Because she liked the taste of Pepsi Max, she decided to use it as a mixer for vodka. The drink also helped her with the side-effects of the drugs, which left her with a dry mouth, her mother said. Read more »

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered his government to rein in rising vodka prices, as he battles to preserve his popularity amid an aggravating economic crisis.

Putin told a meeting with government officials and regional governors on Wednesday that expensive vodka prices encourage the production of bootleg spirits, which carry greater risks to people’s health than legally produced alcohol. Read more »

David Farrar interrupts his travel blog to have a sook about police not wanting to waste resources on policing drunken bogans after 3am. The rest of us have to subsidise him and his mates if they want to stay out to 3am boozing.

I wish the Police would stick to their jobs and not try to become like the Mutaween. It is not their job to decide people must stop dancing in town by 3 am.
I’ve often been in town after 3 am. You may be at a function until around 11 pm, and then want to head out with a few friends to carry on talking and drinking. We’re not being rowdy, not drunk, not causing problems – just enjoying some drinks and conversation. On other occasions we may mix that in with some dancing, which you know is legal and okay to do after 3 am. Read more »

I hope no one tells Cactus Kate about this startling new discovery…tough to be fair she buys her own champagne…because no one else can afford her preferred tipple.

It’s official: champagne is a socialist’s drink. That’s according to a consumer study from the US that has correlated what people imbibe with their voting habits. Apparently, wine-drinkers are most likely to turn out at elections (the hangovers are lighter than for spirits) and rum is the most bipartisan tipple of all. Right-wingers prefer whiskeys such as Jim Beam and Wild Turkey. Left-wingers like prosecco, vodka, gin and champagne.

The survey has plenty of gaps. What if, like me, you spent New Year’s Eve mixing your drinks? Does that shot of vodka washed down with a glass of whisky make me an undecided voter, or just a diabetic waiting to happen? And what’s the significance of people’s taste in nibbles? Red meat for the conservatives; canapes for the socialists. Meanwhile, those of us who prefer a fun party to a political party just abstain from eating altogether.

The survey is American, so how would it translate into British politics? Well, in my experience, fiscally unsound Labourites will drink anything that’s put in front of them. So long as someone else is paying.

Or how would it translate into NZ politics.

I somewhat suspect that Labour politicians no longer drink beer, with the exception of Shane Jones and Damian O’Connor…they alone would drink beer and from the bottle.

If they were drinking beer it would probably be Stella Artois or that Mexican rubbish.

The Greens though they’d want something recycled…probably their own urine.

The Maori party would drink only Lion Brown…seems suitable if you get the pun.

Act? The younger hipster types would be Absinthe drinkers for sure. Top shelf for the older ones.

National…fine wines with quality beers for BBQs. The Young Nats would certainly hook into Farrar’s free liquid panty remove…if only they were into chicks.

wine means the product of the complete or partial fermentation of fresh grapes, or a mixture of that product and products derived solely from grapes.

wine product means a food containing no less than 700 mL/L of wine as defined in this Standard, which has been formulated, processed, modified or mixed with other foods such that it is not wine.

2 Addition of other foods to wine during production

The following foods may be added to wine during production –

(a) grape juice and grape juice products; and
(b) sugars; and
(c) brandy or other spirit; and
(d) water, where the water is necessary to incorporate any permitted food additive or processing aid. Read more »